Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Shrub
Origin
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
North America, United States, Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, North-Central United States, South-Central United States, Texas
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
13
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Low Elevation, Woodlands
Boggy areas, Fens, Fields, meadows, Swamps, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99994-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
8-4
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
240.00 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
10.00 cm12.70 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Lemon yellow
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oblovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
reseeds, Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune after flowering, Prune in early spring, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Compost, Fertilize every year, Mulch, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Aphids, Apple Maggot, Fall Webworm, Red blotch, Scale
Plant Tolerance
Drought
-
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Vermifuge
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
-
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS metuliferus
ARONIA arbutifolia
Common Name
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
Red Chokeberry
In Hindi
Kiwano Melon
लाल Chokeberry
In German
Hornmelone
Rote Apfelbeere
In French
Cucumis metulifer
Red Chokeberry
In Spanish
Cucumis metuliferus
rojo Chokeberry
In Greek
Kiwano Melon
κόκκινο Chokeberry
In Portuguese
pepino africano
Red Chokeberry
In Polish
Ogórek kiwano
Red aronii
In Latin
Kiwano Melon
arbutifolia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Rosales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Rosaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Aronia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
125
1
27800
👆🏻